Vertical filing drawer



Nov. 17, 1925- F. L. G. STRAUBEL.

VERTICAL Plum DRAWER Filed Feb. 25, 1922 "Wm/mam. am

Patented Nov. 17, 1925. v

UNITED STATES FREDERICK L1G. STRAU'BEL, OF GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN.

PATENT OFFICE.

'vn'arrcnr, FILING nanwnn;

Application'filed February 25, 1922. Serial No. 539,083.

To all whom it may concern; Be it known that I, FREDERICK L. G. Simafinnn, a citizen of the United States,

residing at Green Ba in the county of rown, and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in.

a'Vertical Filing Drawer; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear,

and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same. Y

My invention relates to vertical filing drawers and in some of its general aspects aims to provide novel features of construction particularilf tion with a t ting front and tilting follower arrangement and with a single piece drawer front construction. In my previous Patent No. 1,013,234, issued to 'me on January 2, 1912 on a vertical filing drawer,

I have shown a drawer including a normally vertical front and a normally vertical follower both arranged so that they may be tilted to increase the space between their.

. upper edges, thereby facilitating the insertion and removal of papers or the like between them and also permitting a ready ins ection'of any of the contents of the file wit out removing them from the drawer. I have also shown connections interposed between the tilting front and the tilting follower for causing a-tilting or untilting movement of the drawer front to efiect a corresponding movement of the follower, and have shown these connections as arranged to permit a. convenient adjustment of the follower according to the volume of the contents of the drawer.

The construction thus disclosed was illustrated and described as particularly suit-- ed for a wooden drawer and one in which the drawer front was made of two supersed portions connected by a hinge, the ower portion being fast with respect to the bottom of the drawer while the upper portion .was hinged at its lower edge to per-q mit the tilting of the upper or main, portion of the drawer front. .This hinging necessarily involves a slight gap at the oint between'the two portions comprising the front and also involves the projectmg of hinge portions, all 'ofwhich detract from the appearance of the drawer-andof the filing inet as a whole. p The two-piece front adapted for use in connec-- .an intermediary carriage or soca construction also involves considerably more expense than the manufacture of a single piece front.

Moreover, the hinging of a drawer front portion adjacent to the bottom of its lower edge as shown in my above mentioned patent gives a lifting motion to the lower portion of this n per front sectionalong its inner surface, t ereby tending to raise adjacent contents of the file and also affording a gap durlng the tilting of the front into which some of the file contents may be crowded so as to damage these when the tilted front portion is position.

To reduce the cost and to avoid this lifting and damaging of file contents, it is dereturned to its normal vertical sirable to employ a single-piece front and to hinge this above its bottom, but if this is done, the forward tilting of the upper edge of the front will involve'aicorresponding rearward tilting of the lower edge, thereby causing this lower sion slide, I.,aim to provide such com ulsory untilting means partly upon the slide. and

aim to arrange the tiltable front so that its lower portion extends below the drawer proper and in front of the extension slide.

In a further aspect, my invention-aims to provide a novel guide rod construction adapted for use with tilting drawer fronts and one which will permit the knob of such a guide rod to be fastened to a tiltable portion of the: drawer front.- Still further and also more detailed objects will appear from the following speeificationand from the accompanying drawings, in which 1 Fig l is a central, vertical and lon itudiedge to strike either against thecabinet itself or the extened extenvnal section through a vertical filing rawer .embodyingmy invention and through adjacent portions ofthe extension slide carrying the same end of the-cabinet in which the drawer is used, showing the drawer in an almost closed osition.

2 is a similar section taken closer to Fi the fisclosed side of the drawer. and. showing the drawer front and follower in their invention is shown as used in connection 29 with a drawer having -a mainsheet metal portion comprising a pair of sides 1 con-- nected by 'a bottom 2, which bottom .i'ests upon the wheels 3 of an ex'tenslon sllde. Pivoted to the drawer, desirably by hinges 4 secured to the bottom 2 adj acent to the front of the latter is a tiltable drawer .front 5 which (in the case of a woodencabinet)- is desirably also made of wood and which carries a handle 6 whereby the drawer maybe slid in and out'and whereby the front may he tilted about its saidv hinged connection to the bottom of the drawer when. desired. Slidably mounted within the drawer 1s a follower or compressor including a follower wing or compresser member 7 which is desirably stifi'ened by ed eflangesS projecting rearwardly of this ollowing wing. The .wing 7 is connected by hinges 9 to a follower base 10, which base is desirably supported at'each end by a pairof wheels .lLridi'ng upon the bottom of the drawer, and which base is slidable. v

The base 10 of the follower and wing 7 of the latter are also operatively connecter' by springs 41..'arrai1ged for continuously tending to swing the follower forwardly about its said hin' e connection, each such spring desirably beinginterlocked at its ends respectively withthe plates comprising one hinge 9. One ofthese hinge plates, namely the One which is normally in a vertical position has at its upper 'end a lateral wing 12 afl'ording a bearing fora roller 13 which has its axis transverse of the drawer and 5a which travels m a grooved oscillating bar 14 extending longitudinally of the drawer adjacentto ra side '1 of. the latter; This oscillating bar is supported. by- 'a pivoted link 15 and a lever arm 16. parallel thereto, the said link and lever being arran ed for affording a parallel movement sot at the bar 14 may be moved both downwardlyand rearwardly-of the drawer while continuously maintaining the axis of the said groove por-- tion horizontal. "To move the bar for-this the" rod. With a' purpose, I extend the arm 16 beyond its pivot 17 as shown in Figs. land 2 and connect the upper end of the lever as thus'pro wided by a link 18 with the. drawer front 5. Thus arranged, it will be obvious from Figs.

1 and .3 that when-the front 5 is swung about its hinged connection to the bottom of the drawer after the manner shown in Fig. 3, the connecting link 18 and the lever 16 will cooperate with the rear. link 15 in 7 moving the grooved oscillating bar 14 both downwardly and rearwardly of the drawer. Owing to he housing of the roller 13 by the groove in his oscillatingbar, the downward movement of the latter presses this roller downwardly, thereby tilting the upper plate of the adjacent hinge 9 rearwardly against the pressure of the spring 11 and hence tilting the follower rearwardly; Likewise, the untilting'of the drawer frontby returning it to its vertical position causes the same connections to raise the oscillating bar, thereby also raising the roller 13 and permitting the spring 11 to return the follower wing 7 to its normal vertical position. To lock the usual downwardly tabbed I guides-in position I providea guide rod 19 extending longitudinally of the drawer below the follower wing and terminating at its forward end in a knob 20 exposed in front of the drawer. With a two-piece drawer front construction such as that disclosed in my above mentioned patent this guide rod can extend through the lower orstatipnary portion of the front, so that the tilting of the drawer will'not-tend to move or bendsingle-piecetiltable drawer front, this is not feasible, and I therefore interpose means between the guide rod 19 and 'the rod knob 20 for preventing the tilting and untilting of the drawer from ap preciably affecting. the position of the guide rod. For this purpose, 5 shows the knob 20 as having a threaded portion 21 whereby it 'is detachably threaded into a plate 22 secured to the drawer front, and'as having a stem 23 extending inwardly beyond the threaded portion '21 and equipped at its free end with a knob24 presenting a con-.

vexed end adjacent to that of a corresponding knob 25 on the forward end of the guide rod 19. Then I connectthese two knobs by a sleeve 26 substantially himsing the same and having'its ends contracted to overhang the oppositelydirected-portions of the two. knobs. Thus arranged it will be seen from the dotted lines in Fig. 5 that my arrange--' ment affords substantially aball-and-socket type of swiveling 'connection-{between. the knob and the rod proper, thereby-permitting the stem portion which carries the knob to be tilted'at a considerable angle while following the tilting of the drawer front with I outappreciabl'y affecting the position. of the guide rod. Furthermore, preferably dis-- time by unscrewing the knob in the usual pose this guide rod approximately in alinement with the pivot the hinges 4 which connect the front to the drawer proper, as shown in Fig. 1, thereby reducin the effect on the guide rod to a minimum w ile readily permitting the latter to be removed at any manner.

, To prevent the lower portion of the tilted drawer front from strikin either the extension slide or the ortion o the cabinet front which is normal y below'the drawer front in case the front is not returned to its normal vertical position before the drawer is closed,-I provide a pair of ste s 27 respecti'velysecured to the opposite sides 28 of the extension slide or drawer-support after the manner shown in Fig. 4 and each disposed in horizontal alinement with one of the oscillatingbars 14, and I make each of these oscillat1ng bars of such a length that its rear {end willproject throu h the back 29 of the drawer when the osci lating bar is moved downwardly and rearwardl" when the drawer front is tilted. Then 1f the user at- ;tempts to, close the drawer without first unslide or the -1 dj acent portion of the cabinet.

- slide or the cabinet.

Consequently, if the drawer is slid back slowly or gently, these stops will h the drawer substantially in the p sition f Fig. 2, thereby compelling the user 0 tilt the from before he can entirely close the'dr'awer. Since the handle 6 is disposed considerably above the hinges 4 which connect the front to the base of the drawer, the thrust on this (handle will also tend to untilt thefront, so that in practice both this thrust and the momentum of the moving drawer will automatically cause the front to tilt back to its nor mal position as soon as the stops 27 enga the rear ends of the oscillating bars 14. I: practice, this stop provision therefore acts as an automatic arrangement for tilting the drawer front back. to its normal position so as to keep thebottom of the drawer front from impinging against either the extension However, while I have illustrated and described my invention in a form embodying various highly desirable features of construction and arrangement, I do not wish to be limited to the particular form thus disof the tilte to the said front arid including a member -moved rearwardly of the drawer when the member to prevent a closing of the drawer while the front is thus tilted. a

2. In a filing cabinet, a drawer having a tiltable front, jointed mechanism connected to the said front and including a member movedrearwardly of the drawer when the front is tilted out of 'its normalposition', and means disposed for engaging the said, member to prevent a closing .of the drawer while the front is thus tilted, the said means being arran ed for effecting the returning 3 front to its normal position upon a continuingjof the closing movement of the drawer. j

3. A drawer having a tiltable front, a tiltablefollower, connections betweenthe front and, follower to cause a tilting or untilting for preventing a closing of the drawer while the front is tilted out (if its normal position. I I

4. A drawer having a tiltable front, a tiltable follower, connections between the front and follower to cause a movement of the front to or from a tilted position to img part corresponding movement to the follower, the said connections including a member moved rearwardly of the, drawer when the front is tilted out of its normal.

position, and means disposed for engaging the said member for preventing a closing of the drawer while the front is thus tilted.-

to, impart corresponding movement to the follower, the said connections including a member moved rearwardly of the drawer when the front is tilted out of its normal position, and means disposed for engaging the said member for preventing a complete closing of the drawer while .the front is thus tilted, the said means being arra ed for effecting the. returning of the tilte front to its-normal position upon a continuing of the closing movement of the drawer.

6. A drawer having a tiltable front, a tiltable follower, connections between the front and follower to cause a movement of the front to or from a tilted position to impart corresponding movement to the fol-, lower, an extension slide supporting the drawer and moving in the same direction therewith when the drawer is opened or closed, and cooperating stop formations on the said connections and theextension slide for preventing a complete closing of the drawer while the pfront thereof is tilted out of its normal position and for prevent-' ing the forward end ofthe slide from en.-

' gaging the drawer front.

7. A drawer having a tiltable front; a

- tiltable follower, 1 connections between the front and follower to cause a tilting or untilting -movementof the front to impart the drawer prior to a complete clo ing thereofif "the front is still tilted and for causing a' continued closure-tending thrust on the drawerto tilt the front back to its normal positionand forpreventing the fordrawer front.

-ward end of the slide from engaging the 8. A drawer having a tiltable front, a:

tiltable follower, connections between the front and follower to cause atilting or untilting movement of the front to impart corresponding, movement to the .follower,

the said connections including 'an'oscillat- "the back of the drawer when the front ing member moved rearwardly through '.istilted out of its normal position,

and an extension slide supporting the drawer and 'moving in the same direction therewith when the drawer is opened and closed, the extension slide havinga stop portion extending parallel to the back of the c drawer behind the latter-and disposed in 85 the path of the said oscillating member and engageable by the latter to prevent a com plete closing of the drawer; while the front is tilted out of its normal position and to prevent the forward end of the slide from engaging the drawer front.

9. A drawer having a tiltable front, a tiltable follower, connections between the front and follower to cause a tilting or untilting movement of'the front,to impart -said connections including a pair of members pivotally connected respectively .on op posite sides of the drawerandboth moved rearwa-rdly ":Of the drawer when the front is tilted out of its normal position, and an extension 'slidesupporting the drawer and moving in the same'direction therewith and having side ortions disposed laterally of the drawer, t e said side portions having a pair of stops disposed 'respectivel I in the path of thesaid members and a apted to engage the rear ends of the said members respectively to prevent a complete closing movement of the drawer while its front is tilted out of its normal position and to prevent. the forward end of the slide from engaging the drawer front. v

Signed at Green Bay, Wisconsin, February 20, 1922. l 4

' FREDERICK L, G. STRAUBEL.

corresponding movement to the follower, the 

